The present invention relates to a developer amount indicating method and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
Here, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus uses an electrophotographic-image-forming process to form an image on a recording medium. Moreover, examples of the apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (e.g., LED printer, laser beam printer, and the like), an electrophotographic facsimile machine, an electrophotographic word processor, and the like.
Furthermore, a process cartridge is constituted by integrally containing at least one of charging means, developing means and cleaning means as process means, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member in a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachably mountable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. Moreover, the process cartridge may be constituted by integrally containing at least the developing means as the process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member in the cartridge, and the cartridge is detachably mountable to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body.
In a conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus, employed is a process-cartridge system in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally contained in a cartridge, and the cartridge is detachably mountable on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. According to the process cartridge system, since maintenance of the apparatus can be performed not by a serviceman but by a user, operability can remarkably be enhanced. Therefore, the process cartridge system is broadly used in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus of the process cartridge system is generally provided with a function of detecting that a remaining amount of a developer in a developer container disposed in a process cartridge is a predetermined value or less as a standard for the user to change the process cartridge, and notifying the user.
Moreover, in order to further enhance the convenience of the user, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, an apparatus provided with means for successively detecting the developer remaining amount, and provided with a function of successively notifying the user of the developer remaining amount by a gauge indicating the developer amount is put to practical use.
In a developer amount indicator 60 shown in FIG. 17, a pointer 61 moves in accordance with the developer remaining amount to point at a portion of a gauge 62 provided with graduations 63 of xe2x80x9cFullxe2x80x9d to xe2x80x9cEmptyxe2x80x9d and notifies the user of the developer remaining amount.
The present invention is a further development of the aforementioned conventional art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount indicating method in which a developer amount can successively be indicated and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount indicating method in which the developer amount can be indicated with good precision and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount indicating method which is comprehensible for a user and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount indicating method in which two or more developer amount detecting means are used to detect a remaining amount of a developer in a developer containing portion, and an indication of the remaining developer amount can be performed in accordance with properties of the developer amount detecting means to notify the user and the user can be notified of a correct developer amount, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount indicating method in which the user can correctly be notified of the developer remaining amount in more detail when the developer amount is reduced and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount indicating method of successively indicating a developer amount based on a detection result of first detecting means for successively detecting the developer amount in a developer containing portion, and subsequently successively indicating the developer amount based on a detection result of second detecting means for successively detecting the developer amount in the developer containing portion.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a developer amount indicating method of successively indicating a developer amount based on a detection result of first detecting means for successively detecting the developer amount in a developer containing portion, and subsequently successively indicating the developer amount based on the detection result of the first detecting means and a detection result of second detecting means for successively detecting the developer amount in the developer containing portion.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:
an electrophotographic photosensitive member;
developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member;
a developer containing portion for containing a developer for use in developing the electrostatic latent image by the developing means;
first detecting means for successively detecting a developer amount in the developer containing portion;
second detecting means for successively detecting the developer amount in the developer containing portion; and
indicating means for successively indicating the developer amount based on a detection result of the first detecting means, and subsequently successively indicating the developer amount based on a detection result of the second detecting means.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising:
an electrophotographic photosensitive member;
developing means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member;
a developer containing portion for containing a developer for use in developing the electrostatic latent image by the developing means;
first detecting means for successively detecting a developer amount in the developer containing portion;
second detecting means for successively detecting the developer amount in the developer containing portion; and
indicating means for successively indicating the developer amount based on a detection result of the first detecting means, and subsequently successively indicating the developer amount based on the detection result of the first detecting means and a detection result of the second detecting means.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.